Tag: Okwata

  • Lake Pontchatrain like a champion

    It’s always nice to start the day off with a beatdown on the lakefront. So i issued the disclaimer & we mosey’d to the corner of canal / lakeshore drive to warm up

    WARM UP

    • Side straddle hop – 15 in cadence
    • Mountain climbers – 15 in cadence
    • Arm circles – 10 forward, 10 backwards
    • Concrete grabbers – 15 in cadence

    Next we mosey’d to the concrete planters along the lakefront and we did 11’s with derkins & dips. We started with one dip and 10 derkins, and then worked our way down to 10 dips and 1 derkin. Screw Top & Mahatma were leading the charge.

    Once the 11’s were completed, we mosey’d back to the corner of canal / lakeshore drive and did 2 laps of the following:

    • Run backwards up the concrete part of the levee
    • sprint across the center
    • run down the other side of the concrete levee
    • then when you reached the starting point, you would then do 25 LBC’s

    Next we mosey’d across the street by the lake. We partnered up and then we did 3 sets of sprints:

    • Sprint 1 – sprint to the first light pole and back (about 20 yards) while the other partner planks and waits. When partner one gets back, partner two then sprints to the first light pole & back while partner one planks and waits
    • Sprint 2 – sprint to the second light pole and back (about 40 yards) using same plank & wait technique as first sprint
    • Sprint 3 – sprint to the third light pole and back (about 60 yards) using the same plank and wait technique as the previous 2 sprints

    After the sprints were done, we mosey’d back to the flag for the count-off, name-o-rama, announcements, intentions & prayer. Thanks, as always, for the opportunity to lead, fellas. I enjoy it more each time!

  • Who signed up the Q and didn’t tell him?

    Okwata was missing it’s Q this AM

    We showed up in the gloom but were missing our Q who never attends Okwata and has never Q’d but was signed up for his VQ

    This group of gentleman stepped right up starting with @High Rise leading the warm up and stretches.

    Thanks to all who jumped in to lead when called upon.

    The mini H8 included running backwards up the hill, bear crawl across at the top, run down the hill with burpees, dying cockroaches, Freddie Mercuries & LBC’s at the four corners.

    Bread Sticks then lead us on levie runs with burpees & Merkins.

    We then were lead in the Motivator, aka the dance 😉 by our Birmingham guest, Ethanol. The Motivator is a deconstructed side straddle hop into 4 parts. A hop, separated legs, arms 1/2 way up, arms overhead. One of each, two of each, three of each … up to 10 of each… I imagine you will see the Motivator again.

    During The Motivator by Ethanol from Birmingham, there was a siting of Rudy & Hawg on their mosey heckling us for being a new dance Krewe.

    We then closed the exercise portion of our morning with Mary.

    Announcements included Gnarley Nutria, Summer Race Series, our Family F2 event & RED shirt pre-orders.

    We closed with our COT with intentions & gratitude!

    Thank you for allowing me to step in and step up

  • First Timer at Okwata

    It wasn’t how YHC planned. It just sort of happened.  Nonetheless, YHC arrived at Okwata in the Lakeview Clown Car on a bright morning, devoid of gloom, ready to lead 16 PAX.

    Disclaimer issued and a quick mosey to warmup:

    SSH x 15 IC
    Hill Billies x 15 IC
    Arm Circles x 15 IC
    Mountain Climbers x 15 IC

    The Workout

    Run up the levee at Canal, sprint across the grass median, run back down, complete 5 burpees. Rinse and repeat with 4 burpees down to 0 burpees.

    YHC wasn’t thrilled with the sprinting effort, so penalty Bernies were issued. Two rounds of the above with Bernies up the hill, with sets of 5 and 4 burpees respectively. 

    Part 2

    Mosey to benches, 16 PAX, 2 per bench:

    Floyd Mayweather x 20 
    Low Slow Squats x 20
    LBC x 20
    Merkins x 20
    Lunges x 20
    Dips x 20
    Step ups x 20
    Derkins x 20

    Repeat for 10 each

    At 6:11 we moseyed back for the usual formalities.  Thanks to all who came out to my VQ and gave me the opportunity to lead. 

  • Party at Okwata

    There was excitement oozing from GroupMe yesterday in anticipation of the party at Okwata. Bones was trying to draw the uptown crowd in. The lakeview clown car(s) all showed up! 16 Pax joined YHC on the lakefront to celebrate the day a legend was born. Brief disclaimer, then a mosey around the mardi gras fountain with butt kicks, high knees, and carioca.

    Circle up on the grassy area for a warmup.

    SSH IC x 49 – Hokie Pokie figured it out……
    Abe Vigodas IC x 10
    Arm Circles IC x 20
    Grass Grabbers IC x 15
    Peter parker IC x 20
    Mountain Climbers IC x 20
    Parker Peter IC x 20

    Party favor 1

    Mosey to the top of the levee for a disperse Indian Run. Last pax runs to the front and yells disperse and an exercise. Pax disperse either side of the levee, complete 3 of the exercise, and run back up the levee back in formation. YHC called it a little over half way through as time was a concern. Regular Indian run to a clear spot for:

    Catalina Wine Mixers IC x 10 (Crowd pleaser)
    Disperse Indian Run is a challenge with 17 Pax. But no complaints here!

    Party favor 2

    Mosey back to a drier area for a little Shock and Awe (Happy Birthday to Me!)
    SSH IC x 6
    10 Burpees OYO
    SSH IC x 6
    9 Burpees OYO
    SSH IC x 6
    8 Burpees OYO
    ……..
    ……..
    SSH IC x 6
    2 Burpees OYO
    SSH IC x 6
    10 Burpees OYO (cause we don’t do 1 Burpee)
    Nobody commented on the odd 6 SSH. YHC let an extra slide by the first time, but there was no chance of letting anyone actually know. So 6 SSH’s it was throughout…….

    Mary
    Tin Snips IC x 15
    Flutter Kicks IC x 20


    Party favor 3

    Mosey back to the levee for :
    Quadraphilia with 5 burpees at the top of the levee each time up. Completed approximately 5 minutes of this horrible evolution before time was up

    Mosey back to the virtual shovel flag for countoff, name-o-rama, announcements, intentions, and closed out with a prayer to the Sky Q.

    NMM

    Thank you for showing up in force this morning and celebrating my birthday with me. A legend was born this day. That’s right, YHC shares a birthday with Janet Jackson………

    Bar-a-thon tomorrow night!!!

    ISI point!

    SYITG




  • 11 from Heck

    Okwata started with a beautiful moonrise and gentle breeze and then quickly went to CSAUP.

    After the disclaimer, the PAX moseyed to the Center of the Universe for the warm-up: SSH x 25, Abe Vigoda x 15, Imperial Walkers x 25, Peter Parkers x 20, Parker Peters x 20, Sun Gods x 10 (each direction). The PAX then moseyed to the bottom of the levee for the THANG.

    The THANG was an 11 using one-side of the levee: Merkins at the top (descending) and LBCs at the bottom (ascending). To achieve full CSAUP status, YHC directed the PAX to Quadrofeelia (a.k.a. Bernie Sanders) up the levee and Bear Crawl down the levee during the 11. After this, YHC needed O2, so Two Youths gave the PAX a twenty-count.

    Next, the PAX moseyed to the seawall in front of the MG fountain for a Hurricane Hoedown. YHC was so spent the PAX DJ-ed the cadence. Then, the PAX DJ-ed some additional MARY: Sweat Angels, Dying Cockroach, Real Freddie Mercury, and more LBCs.

    The PAX moseyed then to the virtual flag for the COT. Count Off. Nameorama. Announcements. Intentions. Prayer. Lord, teach me to be generous. . . .

    Moleskin: It was a great effort from the PAX today. YHC was beat after the 11. The PAX also stepped up to help YHC with cadence and then MARY. Future Qs sharpening. Fellowship. Teamwork. You name it.

  • Coupon H8

    YHC is nothing if not not creative. After employing the pax at Popeyes a couple weeks back to transport coupons back to the flag, and noticing how little fun we all had doing it, the idea of a coupon run was born. Luckily, I overbought pavers a while back for a backyard project, and not wanting to do the walk of shame to return some pavers that each cost about 50 cents, we now have some “square running coupons”. They shall be referred to as the SRC’s henceforth, and they will always have been bought for the good of the F3 Nola pax, not my much smaller than expected backyard project.

    Warmup

    • Mosey to the center of the intersection with some high knees and butt kicks
    • SSHx20
    • Arm circlesx20
    • Parker Peterx20
    • Hold for planking on each hand
    • Open the gate, close the gate
    • LSSx10

    Station 1

    An abbreviated H8 with the SRC’s. Grab 1 in each hand, run to the top of the levee, deposit them, bear crawl across, run down to the bottom, straight back up, bear crawl across, retrieve SRC’s, down to the bottom at Lakeshore Drive for 5 Manmakers w/ the coupons. X 4.

    A few Pax completed 5 and even got in some Bernie Sanders while they waited for the slow guys, i.e., YHC to complete their 4th.

    Station 2

    Indian Run to the end of the levee on the concrete, where we got in a bit of Mary.

    • Crab Cakes x20
    • Absolution x10 (pretty sure I messed this one up again – going to need another demonstration the count, Triple Shift)

    Mosey down the levee and back to the flag, led by our FNG, Chips. Chips was EH’d by Hokie Pokey, and he put in a hell of an effort for his first workout. I saw he posted the next day at The Uptowner as well, so if you have not met him yet, you’ll probably see him soon. He’s a great addition to F3 Nola.

    We also bid farewell to Cowbell, who is going to the Northshore. Our loss, their gain. Cowbell is a quiet leader who pushes hard and helps those around him. Hopefully we’ll SYITG from time to time.

    Thanks for having me. I see the next month is covered, but we have been having some difficulty filling Q’s for Okwata. This is the best time to sign up for Okwata, as the days get longer, and we get absolutely beautiful sunrises over the lake. Show up for an Okwata or two when you can, and then sign up to lead one. With so many options for exercises, it’s truly one of the great AO’s we have. – Kuch

  • 4-getta-bout-it


    It was a beautiful Thursday morning on the lakefront last week. After a little chatter amongst the PAX, I issued the disclaimer and we mosey’d to the corner of lakefront drive / canal blvd. Once there we commenced with the warmup:

    • side straddle hops – 20
    • imperial squat walkers – 15
    • grass grabbers – 15
    • peter parkers – 15
    • arm circles – 10 forward, 10 backward

    Seeing as how the H8 was coming up in 2 weeks, I thought it might be good to do a little H8 pre-work. After Kuch’s Q at Popeyes on Wednesday, the LV clown car was talking about some different TV shows, and one of the shows that came up was the Sopranos. Anytime i think of that show, the word “for-getta-bout-it” comes to mind. Well since i was thinking of that show at the same time i was trying to think about what exercises to use during my Q, a nice exercise creation was born. It would aptly be called, the “4-getta-bout-it” and it would entail 4 figure 8 laps up & down the paved part of the levee with bear crawls across the center (just like the H8). We would also do a burpee / merkin ladder like the H8 as well. The difference with the 4-getta-bout-it would be that the PAX would have to run up each of the levees backwards (Bernie Sanders style backwards). So the good news is that it would be only 1/2 of the laps as the H8; the bad news is that running up the levee backwards is not what most people consider fun. Ultimately, all of the PAX completed the 4 laps (Smooth actually completed 5 laps, which has come to be known as the “High Five”), and then after a brief 20 count from Cowbell, we mosey’d to the benches. Once to the benches, we did the following:

    • dirkins – 15
    • squat jump clockwise to next bench
    • left / right leg step ups (10/10)
    • squat jump clockwise to next bench
    • dips – 15
    • squat jump clockwise to the next bench
    • irkins – 10
    • squat jump clockwise to the next bench
    • windmills – 15
    • squat jump clockwise to the next bench
    • LBC’s – 15
    • squat jump clockwise to the next bench
    • dying cockroaches – 15
    • squat jump clockwise to the next bench
    • flutter kicks – 15
    • squat jump clockwise to the next bench

    Once completed, we mosey’d back to the flag for the announcements, intentions and the prayer. As always, thanks for the opportunity to lead, fellas. It’s a pleasure grinding through the beatdowns with y’all!

  • My 45 minute birthday party

    Party of 16 was ready to celebrate my birthday one day late.

    Gave the necessary disclaimer and off we went.

    Mosey around the fountain and circle up in the grassy area for:

    COP #1: Warm Up

    31 X SSH

    31 X IW

    31 X PP

    15 X JLO

    15 X LSS

    15 X Windmill

    Mosey down to the lakefront to get a little mid post Mary in:

    5 X LBC at Lightpost 1 increasing reps by 5

    continue until reps = 40

    Mosey further down the lakefront to a parking lot between the shelter and levee for:

    7 of Diamonds- pax split up into 4 groups, 2 on top of the levee, 2 in the parking lot- to make a diamond, or rectangle, or square….

    Perform each exercise, rotate, and increase next exercise by 7 reps.

    7 X Burpees

    14 X Flutter Kicks

    21 X Merkins

    28 X Can’t Remembers

    35 X Squats

    28 X Can’t Remembers

    21 X Merkins

    14 X Flutter Kicks

    7 X Burpees

    Mosey to a grassy area for:

    COP #2: Jack Webb

    1-10 Merks with 2-20 Air presses

    Time to head back to the flag, we moseyed along the lakefront with 2 sudden change stops of 5 X Burpees OYO.

    COP #3: Mary & Light Stretching

    31 X American Hammer

    31 X Crunchy Frog (crowd pleaser)

    Mosey across the street to the flag

    Countoff, Name-o-rama, announcements, intentions, and prayer

    Welcome El Capitan!

    Thanks for letting me lead again,

    Cowbell


  • 40 – a.k.a. The Rudy Special

    With all the new NOLA PAX members that have taken the Daily Red Pill and joined our ranks, there are so many great workouts they have missed since the inception of F3 NOLA. One of my favorites at Okwata is the 40! Thank you, Rudy! Other epic beatdowns such as the H8 and Elevens with Burpees at Okwata are always crowd pleasers. Since the Army Corps of Engineers raised the height of the lake levee, this AO is like no other in the city. As a side note, you can also thank Mayor Cantrell and former Mayor Landrieu for keeping the grass well manicured over the years.

    WARMUP

    After my disclainer, we do a quick mosey around the Mardi Gras fountain with side shuffles, high knees and butt kicks and head over to the levee. The space between the sidewalk and the bottom of the levee is very spongelike and lumpy so watch your step.

    THE THANG

    As I give the instructions, I hear some groans from the veterans and get some puzzled looks from the newcomers as they process the task ahead of them. It’s pretty simple. Run up and over the levee 40 times and perform 10 exercises 40 times. The sequence of the beatdown is as follows:

    Burpees, Plank Jacks – 10 sec break

    Side Lunges, Catalina Wine Mixers – 20 sec break

    Supermans (Red Sun/Yellow Sun), Shoulder Taps – 30 sec break

    Reverse Crunches, Bonnie Blairs – 40 sec break

    Merkins, WW2 Situps / Wife Pleasers

    It’s 6:13am and we head back to the Freedom Hammer

    COUNTOFF, NAMERAMA AND COT

    Honored to lead all the HIM (High Impact Men) today and grateful for your friendship, camaraderie, and accountability. Prayers for those fighting cancer and those who have lost loved ones! Lord help us be the leaders we were destined to be for our wives, children, and community!

  • A Little H8 to Start off your Thursday

    14 Pax set off into a mild, dry gloom that looked more like midnight than morning to find a good warm-up spot and get a little practice in for the upcoming H8. YHC was initially excited about not having to warm up in Surge’s favorite intersection, but the weeds were a little high, and we found ourselves back in the familiar intersection oval for warm-ups, consisting of:

    • Arm Circles
    • Hill Billies
    • SSH
    • Parker Peter

    After the warm-up, we were back to everyone’s favorite Okwata exercises: levees and burpees and burpees and levees, and a few merkins thrown in.

    Exercise 1: Sprint up the levee, jog down, 10 Burpees. Sprint back up the levee, jog down, 10 Burpees, 25 merkins, Plank and Wait.

    Exercise 2: Indian Run where the sprinter drops for 3 Merkins before sprinting to the front. Rudy claims Jesus Juice almost passed me on a sprint despite the 3 merkins, but I think we should all consider the source. Although Indian runs are not necessarily part of the H8 (or at all part of it), I do hate them.

    Exercise 3: Sprint up the levee, 5 Turk and Burps; jog down, 5 T&B; jog back up, 5 T&B; jog back down, 5 T&B. A little controversy about the form for these, so below is a demonstration of the Turkish Get-Up that I at least attempt to follow. It’s a great exercise for any workout, and worth practicing on your form. Start light if you do; a 10-lb kettlebell should be plenty at first.

    Exercise 4: At Okwata, there is always time for running backwards up a levee, and this workout was no exception, so we did a couple rounds of Bernie Sanders, planked and waited for the 6, and then moseyed back to the flag, where we got in a few LBC’s as the clock struck 6:15.

    We wished Jesus Juice a happy 35th, and welcomed Edible Arrangements from F3 Nashville. We prayed for some of our F3 brothers who are going through some tough times right now, and we recognized how thankful we are that we were able to come together this morning for a workout.

    I’m also thankful for the opportunity to lead this group. -Kuch